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A site dedicated to discussing a variety of action & martial arts film entertainment. The written and expressive work of the author(s) of Film Combat Syndicate is/are protected by Copyright Law. To send us scoops or share your inquiries, email us at filmcombatsyndicate@gmail.com.

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Anyone in the mood for some Asian cinema? Then Lincoln Center is your place to be this summer, host to the usual wide array of films ranging from classic to contemporary projects. A few of them are currently upcoming in certain parts of the globe in one form or another. Hopefully you can attend this event yourself this month and see what all the fuss is about.
Film Society's own Brian Brooks has the official line-up as announced below:

Artists from virtually all walks of life continue to thrive on social media to gain a foothold of potential online fans to garner an audience. And with Indiegogo being one of the most useful and beneficial means to do so, this movement continues to remain prolific for filmmakers, especially those fond of martial arts action cinema.

I'm kind of a fan of former Goonie, actor Josh Brolin. No, I haven't Spike Lee's version of Oldboy yet, and I will, eventually. But I don't really feel like he's gotten his just dues as an actor, although he has earned some approval among filmgoers and film producers on the level, so much so that he was once a named candidate for the role of Bruce Wayne in the then-untitled Batman V. Superman movie.

Close to a year after Toei released Dragon Ball Z: Battle Of The Gods in Japan, the official word from Funimation is that the film is now getting a limited theatrical release here in the U.S. this August, as indicated by the poster above. This is pretty big for the anime fans out there, particularly for those jaded by the 2009 live-action contribution that didn't pan really pan out very well with the hardcore fan base. For most of them, the epic saga featuring lead character Goku against his former Saiyan comrades should best stay animated.

It was back in February of last yearthat QED International and Groundswell Productions announced their backing of a new Bruce Lee biopic titled Birth Of The Dragon. The film's announcement couldn't have come at a better time last year as a new Bruce Lee statue was unveiled in California, in addition to a star-studded screening of Enter The Dragon at the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences, and a special exhibition launched at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum attributed to the Jeet Kune Do master and martial artist 40 years after his passing.

Things are now settling after director Siti Kamaluddin and her fellow film cohorts at Origin Films spent the past few weeks garnering attention from onlookers and buyers in Cannes this year for her new coming-of-age martial arts action drama Yasmine. The film is the currently the beneficiary of several firsts, including being Brunei's first commercial picture in up to five decades, as well as being Kamaluddin's directorial debut starring breakout actress Liyana Yus in the title role. And since premiering the first teaser back in March, the film is already leaving quite an impression among genre fans curious to see what Yus has in store.

Indie filmmaker, actor and martial artist David Clevenger has come a long way from starting out in 2002 with a faith-based repetoire of low-budget action films under his production banner, Shepherd King Productions in Illinois within the Quad Cities where he has become most prolific ever since. Twelve years later, Clevenger has now finished his fifth feature, Standing Ground, which will finally make its debut with three screenings at the Adler Theater in Daveport, Iowa this Saturday.

Ever have a moment in your life when you realize a mistake has just come back to haunt you? Well, for me, it was never seeing Stargate when it came out back in 1994, with Kurt Russell and James Spader...well, at least not from start to finish anyway. But indeed, the film became a huge hit racking up nearly $200 million at the box office worldwide, spawning several TV shows, games, toys and much more in the years that followed.

So, fast forward 20 years later and it appears that MGM and Warner Bros. are breathing new life into the franchise once again with Roland Emmerich returning to the director's chair to offset a new trilogy. Emmerich also co-wrote the original film with Dean Devlin who is sitting in as producer. Emmerich is still attached to direct another return to a 1990's blockbuster franchise with the long-awaited two-part sequel to the 1996 alien invasion thriller, Independence Day, currently being scripted by Spyhunter scribe Carter Blanchard.

Nope, nobody took anything from actor Liam Neeson this time, but that won't stop him going above and beyond the call of duty to deliver his own brand of justice in writer and director Scott Frank's newest crime thriller, A Walk Among The Tombstones. The film is also likely love letter to book enthusiasts familar with the original 1992 publication of the same name by novelist Lawrence Block, centered on fictional lead character, Matthew Scudder, a former NYPD detective whose story is featured in Block's 17 novels.

What you're looking at is the latest poster headling actor Nicholas Cage for the upcoming October release of stunt veteran Vic Armstrong's latest directorial offering, Left Behind, which sees Cage playing a pilot in search of his family among a handful of those who have survived the rapture. The film is one in several new thrillers for the actor who was announced a few weeks ago at Cannes to be featured alongside actor Jack Huston in the production of writing-directing duo Alex and Ben Brewer's new crime thriller from Highland Film Group titled, The Trust. But that's not all. Following a seven-year legal battle over a wiretapping case that eventually saw filmmaker John McTiernan's release from prison after serving nearly year behind bars, the acclaimed director is back in the film fray and working on the new action thriller, Red Squad. The also film offers a little something extra special for action fans who have cultivated much of their fandom back in the 80'…

Have you ever gotten the feeling of total, absolute frustration from hearing that other people have seen a movie for you? Well, I certainly got that feeling before the The Raid 2 finally hit theaters, and I will be fixing that same problem when I go and see X-Men: Days Of Future Past.

Lately I'm taking on a lot more things between writing for the site and obligations outside of my enthusiasm for film, so unfortunately I haven't been able to feature as many interviews as I have and found myself trying to compensate by talking directly to filmmakers and stunt professionals to gain personal insight, and particularly for possible quotes as well.

Fortunately however, that trend is changing a bit, with special thanks in part to having some really cool long distance acquaintances help grant me a chance to discuss movies with some amazing people. In this case, I have Taressa Dominguez from Baumgarten Management & Production, and CEO of SC Films International, Mike Selby to thank for helping me get in touch with the ever-busy martial artist, actor and filmmaker Michael Jai White, star of such series and films as Metal Hurlant Chronicles, Spawn, Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing and Mortal Kombat: Legacy S1, and co-star of their most recent film, Skin Trade, dire…

Award-winning fight choreographer, action actor and martial artist Wildchild Gil Sanabria was last known to be working on the script for the hopeful production of the sequel to writer and director Andres Ramirez's 2011 action comedy thriller, El Testigo. While details on that production remain up in the air, action-hungry netizens can finally catch the latest teaser for Sanabria's upcoming new 15-minute online shortfilm, Breed Of Hunters.

It's been two years since Marseilles-based independent filmmaker, martial artist and action actor Cédric Tellier picked up a camera and moved ahead with the production of his new shortfilm, Elit Unit. As per usual with many indie-made shortfilms of its kind, this one has had its share of hurdles along the way, particularly stemming from being a zero-budgeted project. Nonetheless, as experimental as it is, and gathered from what has been previously offered in several teasers since over a year ago, Elit Unit is just the latest embarkment for Tellier toward something much more ambitious.

Reports are being confirmed that Boardwalk Empire series co-star Charlie Cox will be playing the role of Marvel superhero, Daredevil and his alter-ego, Matt Murdock in upcoming Netflix series premiere. The news comes just after Drew Goddard's departure as showrunner, followed by updates announcing Steven DeKnight taking his place, with Goddard serving as producer instead.

Director Wych Kaosayanada has been pretty busy for the past couple of years, working on a number of projects, including gigs as cinematographer on the upcoming action thriller, Tekken: Kazuya's Revenge, as well as on actor Dustin Nguyen's 2013 directorial debut, Once Upon A Time In Vietnam. Currently, details regarding those other projects are being kept tight under wraps, but at least one gig has been re-emerging as of late, with the long-awaited release of his latest feature crime thriller, Zero Tolerance, as indicated by the new poster:

Fans of director Neil Burger's live-action adaptation of author Veronica Roth's 2011 best seller, Divergent, have something extra to obsess over for throughout the summer with the current production of Insurgent, the second in Roth's highly successful series of young-adult novels. The official press release is out today, with further info regarding The Hunger Games: Catching Fire co-star Stephanie L. Schulnd reportedly in the mix.

Right about now, actor Tom Cruise and actress Emily Blunt are kicking off their three-city tour headling the gloval event premiering their newest live-action feature-length graphic novel sci-fi action adventure, Edge Of Tomorrow, from Warner Bros. The film has already gained positive reviews from MANY critics around the web who have attended advanced screenings before the film's nationwide North American release on June 6. And this week, netizens now get to see a new 13-minute featurette discussing the film below, as well as TONS of other video material you can now catch below, with Cruise and Blunt joined by co-star Bill Paxton, director Doug Liman, and much more.

Director Quentin Tarantino is currently in the middle of a second rewrite with a third rewrite on the way for the forthcoming production of his new western, The Hateful Eight. The news of the film's return to production comes after controversy arose with the leak of Tarantino's script through Gawker, which led to two lawsuits - one in January which was dismissed by a judge in April, followed by an amended complaint on May 1.

Well into the promotinal process for the upcoming release of Transformers: Age Of Extinction, and Paramount is ready to remind humanity of the devastation the self-proclaimed "robots in disguise" have left behind in a new viral video highlighting select scenes from the 2011 release of Transformers: Dark Of The Moon leading into the fourth film.

Update: As it turns out, Nguyen will only be serving as co-producer and second-unit director, NOT action choreographer, following a Facebook post by Nguyen correcting tge matter, according to Twitch. Stay tuned for more updates, or at least until I learn Vietnamese. :-)

While the domestic government-enforced ban and unceremonious leakage of Vietnamese filmmaker Charlie Nguyen's 2013 action vehicle, Bui Doi Cho Lon, left a huge hole for martial arts cinema fans last year, it appears the action will no less continue for The Rebel helmer who is said flown to New Zealand to over see action director duties for the production of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Destiny. Nguyen reportedly comes into the production after wrapping principal photography for the upcoming comedy titled Let Hoi Decide, as legendary action director Master Yuen Woo Ping has decided to extend action and fight choreography duties to Nguyen roughly a year after deciding to do both, with John Fusco providin…

Believe it or not, this is all we are going to get to see until a proper trailer airs for the forthcoming release of director Ernie Barbarash's newest Canadian indie action thriller, Pound Of Flesh. Filmed on-location in Guangdong, China from a script by Joshua James, the film marks Van Damme's third outing with Barbarash since 6 Bullets and the Scott Adkins co-starrer, Assassination Games. The film was announced back in January with Van Damme set to portray an ex-military man on a mission to find the people who left him for dead in a bathub full of ice and stole his kidney-originally intended for the dying daughter of his estranged brother.

How far would you go to protect the ones you love from a sadistic killer that happens to be your father? Well, DC Comics author and independent filmmaker Brian Buccalleto wants to answer that question for you with the hopeful production of his new psychological thriller, Sons Of The Devil, designated to be both a comic book and a shortfilm, provided that his newest kickstarter is successful.

Every now and then, a documentary comes along that inspires some reflection and changes the way you view a specific topic. For martial arts enthusiasts, such a documentary can be found in the recently released film, The Bladed Hand, a critically acclaimed and intricate retrospective into the world of the Filipino Martial Arts, hosting an eclectic array of interviews with fight professors and martial arts masters, as well as stuntmen and fight choreographers for film and television.

As common as it is nowadays to see the birth of an acting career with former fighting athletes, filmmaker Arty Morgan (a.k.a. Atsushi Muroga, helmer of the Gun Crazy film franchise) isn't afraid to do step in the ring and do just that. In fact, he did so about a few years ago on location in the Philippines with the production of his latest action drama, Death Match (once known as The Death Match: Fighting Fist Of Samurai Joe).

With the popularity of sites like Crackle and Netflix providing online streaming services with a variety of quality TV and film content, what better way to tap into those consumers than launch an online network targeted specifically to a certain niche? Well, the guys at Mill Creek Entertainment may have an answer to that, reaching out to 35mm Kung Fu and Tokusatsu cinephiles everywhere with the latest in online martial arts cinema entertainment, Iron Fist TV.

Independent stunt and action troupe Eclipse Stunts still like to break-in newcomers from time to time; take Deanna Graci for example, an upcoming actress who, in September of last year, found herself preferring to do stunts more than anything. This came prior to meeting Eclipse member, Werewolf Assassin hemler Alex Chung and other members of his team, who eventually decide to put a little something together about a few weeks ago. That little something is called Inhuman, thanks to Chung and that kooky artist brain of his.

It's not often that independent filmmakers can complete a conceptual short piece right away; a lot of times they're working with several ideas at once with other responsibilities in between. But eventually, things workout, and a concept once put on film finally gets realized and ready to show the world.

It's been a while since we heard from writer and director Donald Flaherty who has been busy promoting his latest contained mixed martial arts action sci-fi thriller, Brutal. A trailer went viral in October last year and eventually had its share of exclusive screenings. Nowadays, it appears Flaherty is ready to stir things up following its debut at Cannes, which means some brand new sales ink. It also means a trailer, and no, it's not for the faint of heart. But it's safe to say that this little gem isn't exactly geared toward the PG-13 crowd.
Grown folks only, kids! Check it all out below!

Up for another round of gritty British action storytelling this month? Producer Jonathan Sothcott and director Martin Kemp has your needs answered in his newest gangster thriller, Top Dog, written from a script and based on a 2011 novel publication by Green Street scribe and author Dougie Brimson, and featuring Leo Gregory in the title role.

I don't really know how often female-led action adventure films are made in India, but despite the latest one from filmmaking duo Sudarshan Warale and Mahesh Rajmane isn't as stylish in action as most people are normally used to, it still felt worth point out. The film in question is the Marathi-language thriller titled Mukkam Post Dhanori from production banner, 24FS Chitra, and it is being pitched as an all-out action adventure flick with actress Niyati Ghate breaking out in her first debut role.

With Cannes wrapping up this week and other film festivals to come along the way, festival attendees in North America who love their fair share of action may expect to see a little more of actor David Sakurai with director Shaky Gonzalez's newest shortfilm, Echoes Of A Ronin. Following the airing of a new clip that was unveiled back in February, the film is the latest in a batch of projects that can now be sampled in Sakurai's newest action demo reel which you can now check out below with more news to come, in addition to upcoming news on helmer Sidney Lexy-Plaut's transcendental hybrid action drama, Dark Samurai, and Thomas Eikrem's upcoming noir crime thriller, Le Accelerator, which is currently in post production with a vinyl soundtrack set for July.

Independent filmmaker, actor and fellow Eclipse Stunts fall guy, Alex Chung is still putting this finishing touches on his latest labor of love, Werewolf Assassin, featuring Eclipse member Kyle Stewart with Jermaine Carty and Celine Lolos among other names casted. Tentatively clocked in somewhere in the region of thirty and forty minutes, fans can expect this one to arrive hopefully sometime this Fall as Chung has other obligations in between now and then, but we now have an official trailer that presents the inspired Grindhouse-style vision that clearly does this one MUCH justice!

Luke Goss fans can get a load of more action to come when his new film from director R. Ellis Frazier, Dead Drop, releases the summer. The film, shot a few years ago on-location in Baja, Mexico from a script by Ben Budd, is one in a handful of action thrillers the multifaceted action hero has continually been working on in recent years, with a few more on the way later this year as well. For now though, fans can set the date for July 8 when Dead Drop finally releases on DVD (plus Digital UltraViolet), Digital HD and Video on Demand, courtesy of Lionsgate.

After several months of slowly disseminating set pics and stills, Sony/Columbia recently began ramping up promitional efforts for director Antoine Fuqua's latest film, The Equalizer, loosely based on the original 1985-1989 TV series starring the late Edward Woodward. As such, the film granted the public with a brand new poster of the film just last week, which you can take a look at below:

I remember when 1993 or '94 came when Jean-Claude Van Damme was entering the peak of his career with Capcom's first live-action theatrical interpretation of the Street Fighter universe that saw military character Guile as the lead. To some, including myself, it was good for its time despite not even coming close to owning up to the source material, and mainly because it was a kids' film, geared toward young teens who liked Van Damme movies and appealed to watching actors in Street Fighter costumes imitating characters from the game.

With all the early screenings are done and the hype at its pure peak, the wait finally finished for patient netizens who can now head over to the Machinima Youtube channel or Twitch TV site to watch Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist. As of today, the new online series will be disseminated in episodic form with further editions of the series to be distributed as a feature length film on DVD and Blu-Ray and other mediums to come. In addition, you may also purchase the series soundtrack right now on iTunes, scored by Patrick Gill, Ryan Ansah and David Braine.

Actor, martial arts superstar and philanthropist Jet Li was an unfortunate no-show at Cannes last week where the cast rolled in on the Croisette on tanks to represent the upcoming PG-13 release of The Expendables 3. Nonetheless, despite continuing to deal with hyperthyroidism, the actor continues to do what he does best, and fans will soon find out more in director Wilson Yip's new film, tentatively titled Fengshen Yanyi (The Investiture Of The Gods).
In the meantime, our own Graeme Noble has a few picks in mind in case you've been longing for the golden days of Hong Kong action. And this is just a handful with more to come. Read on, and have a great weekend!

Pierre Morel is one of my favorite directors, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in that regard. The 2010 thriller From Paris With Love drew some mixed reactions, but Taken was a huge hit in 2008, preceeded by the popular parkour action favorite, Banlieue 13, so I'm more privy to believe that Morel's next, The Gunman, will further draw some positive impressions.

Following the success of his new blockbuster entry into the summer with Godzilla, director Gareth Edwards has been confirmed to direct a forthcoming Star Wars spin-off film. The news comes just as Edwards, whose own take on the classic Toho property broke opening weekend records at the box-office since its release a week ago.

Action fans and followers of all things WWE can look forward to more feature-length projects in the not-too-distant future now that actor and wrestler, Paul Wight (better known as The Big Show) and the feature film branch of the company well known for bringing wrestlers to the forefront of film. The company has signed a six-picture deal that would renew their partnership with Lionsgate following the cult successes of their previous releases featuring wrestler-turned-actors like Kane, John Cena and Steve Austin. And to kick things off, the first film will see Wight's return to the screen since starring in the 2010 comedy, Knucklehead, preceded by MacGruber and the 1998 comedy, The Waterboy.

SYNOPSIS: The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The characters from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from X-Men: First Class in an epic battle that must change the past - to save our future.

Any beer drinkers here watch action movies? Well, take note. The stunt industry thanks you for your attention, by way of native New Yorker and stuntman, Charlie Ruedpokanon, whose career has become quite steady since long before YouTube became a thing, performing indie projects since the late 90's and eventually getting recognized by groups like Zero Gravity and The Stunt People. Since then, and having begun his stunt career professionally in 2007, you'll likely catch him performing in various Southeast Asian and Hollywood productions like, Shamo, Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun Li, Bangkok Adrenaline, Elephant White, Only God Forgives and Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear.

The golden age of samurai movies may be long gone, but such films are always welcome in the eyes of adoring fans who continue to share appreciation for the chambara genre. That sentiment can be seen extended through the latest effort of director Ken Ochiai in his new film, Uzumasa Limelight, which centers on seasoned action actor Seizo Fukumoto as a retiring stuntman training a young actress in pursuit of action film stardom.

It's been nearly nineteen years since Mikio Osawa and Kazumi Morohoshi took the public stage as members of the Japanese pop idol group, Hikaru Genji. Having ventured heavily into film and television following the group's split, the two can now be seen in Osawa's directorial debut for the new film, Eagle And Hawk.

I'm not a part of the gaming culture so video games are a bit alien to me these days. But I do take notice when fans of certain franchises come out of the woodwork to put together some of the most amazing and inspired fan-attributed projects ever to hit the internet. One such case is Ubisoft's new action adventure game, Watch Dogs, and independent filmmaker Devin Graham has delivered his own inspired take on the popular upcoming product with a brand new parkour-enfused shortfilm now available on his YouTube channel in the embed below.

Aside from the latest noir costume and vehicle reveal of actor Ben Affleck in the full cape and cowl for Batman in director Zack Snyder's 2016 follow-up to last year's Man Of Steel, the buzz has been going endlessly about exactly what the name of the sequel will be.

It's been roughly a decade or so since I began following the independent action scene, having become a fan of several film groups over the years and slowly accumulating my online social circle within the industry. Having said this, please forgive me for feeling a little sappy today-and no, I don't plan on doing this sort of thing all the time as I don't normally do this, nor do I know all the details and exploits of the personal lives of these folks. But I'm in a mood.

We're about a year and a half away from taking a feature-length eye-full at what co-writer and director J.J. Abrams has in store for next year's release of Star Wars: Episode VII, and much a fuss has been had in the past few weeks over what the official title will be, which actors will be added to the already-annouced princple cast, among other things in light of Lucasfilm and Disney's continual epic ventures in the EU, including the upcoming Disney XD TV series, Star Wars Rebels.

Prospects for writer and director Lowell Dean are only looking better going into the summer with news from the film festival circuit over at Cannes that independent film production and promotion platform, CineCoup, is greenlighting a sequel to the upcoming creature feature, Wolfcop. The news arrived on Monday on the last legs of the Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for the first film, starring Leo Fafard in the title role, which now has less than a day left to raise its stretch goals as of this writing before making its Canadian screen debut on June.

As much as some film fans may complain that there are too many remakes on the big screen, the forthcoming release of the new film from Lana and Andy Wachowski, Jupiter Ascending, should be a refreshment. It's original sci-fi, and despite some polarizing opinions about the aforementioned sibling film duo's previous work, Cloud Atlas with co-helmer Tom Tykwer, it's inarguable that Jupiter Ascending represents another clear example of pure creativity by artists who know how to dazzle the screen.

Tuesday night saw the season one finale of El Rey Network's prequel television show, From Dusk Til Dawn: The Series. With a second season officially on the way as of March, the network, co-founded last year and launched earlier this year by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, is adding even more action to cater to its viewership, with the latest series teaser for Matador, with Gabriel Luna, Nicky Whelan and Alfred Molina headlining the principle series cast.

Most Read Articles Of The Week

On the count of actor and martial artist Scott Adkins being correct, there's a chance a third installment into the direct-to-DVD Ninja franchise could very likely happen. The Accident Man star and producer posted on his Facebook and Instagram pages stating his case to potentially get the film moving forward if producers can be swayes via reacting and commenting to the posts. Do me a favour guys. If you want to see Ninja 3 - please LIKE and COMMENT and maybe I can convince the producers to make it happen. Who wants to see Ninja 3?Both the 2009 and 2013 installments were shepherded by none other than Isaac Florentine in his fruitful pairing with Adkins for a splashy return of the very genre once popular in the 80s. The most recent offering, Ninja: Shadow Of A Tear, was riotous big screen hit at the festivals and among fans alike. The two recently shared the set for the long-awaited Boyka: Undisputed 4 from director Todor Chapkanov with Florentine producing apart from his current roll…

Re:Born is a new Japanese martial arts action thriller film by Yuji Shimomura, probably one of the greatest action coordinators, stuntmen and directors in the small, but entertaining action scene of Japan, re-uniting with Tak Sakaguchi of Versus fame and Shimomura's previous and only other feature Death Trance, the legendary martial artist and the underrated filmmaker have made not only their second and best film to date, but also one of the best action films of the year, whichever year you saw it in, because of its screenings in numerous film festivals starting from 2016.

The story centers on Toshiro Kuroda (played by Tak) who runs a small convenience store in a quiet town in Japan and looking after his adopted daughter, Sachi. When his blood-soaked, military past catches up to him however, it brings back an old comrade (played by Akio Otsuka, the voice of Solid Snake from MGS series) seeking revenge, with an army of brainwashed soldiers behind him, including a former buddy of To…

EXCLUSIVE: Japanese action star, actor Tak Sakaguchi will share the floor as a guest panelist among other headliners for this year's sophomore entry of the Iron DragonTV ActionFest. Submissions are now underway for the upcoming event which will be held at the Galaxy Highland 10 Theater in Austin, Texas from August 10 through 12.
The humble Ishikawa native is a naturally well-known fan favorite credited for such films as Battlefield Baseball, Versus, Alive, Samurai School, Yakuza Weapon and Sono Sion's Why Don't You Play In Hell? to name a few. His latest action-packed starring role now sees him carving and beating armies of villains to a pulp for longtime friend and film partner Shimomura Yuji's second directing effort, Re:Born, which has since been subject to a raft of critical praise from the festival circuit since last year.
Obligatory rules for IDTV Action Fest submissions and entries therein are listed in detail for attendees and local genre fans and cinephiles a…

You can always count on news of a Jason Statham action thriller on the rise to rouse the fanboy feels and of course The Meg is first on the menu this August with a Fast saga spin-off filming next year with Dwayne Johnson. Time will tell what else arises in the big screen prospects for the knife-chucking, brass knuckle-wielding, football deflating Expendable apart from an update from Borys Kit at The Hollywood Reporter announcing Killer's Game from STX.
The film, based on Jay Bonansinga's 1997 novel, will center on a principled, veteran assassin who learns he is dying. Thinking his days are numbered, he stakes a six-million dollar prize on his own life, only to realize that he's been misdiagnosed and is still in perfect health, and is now forced into a breakneck fight for survival against hungry gamesmen out for blood and a six-figure boost.
After more than 20 years, xXx: The Return Of Xander Cage helmer D.J. Caruso is in talks to direct for Statham potentially to star, a…

French actor and filmmaker Philippe Lacheau is applying his craft as of late with word that he'll be adapting his own take on the popular Shueisha publication, City Hunter. He'll be on both sides of the lens directing and starring, thus adding to recent credits such as Babysitting, Babysitting 2, and 2017 comedy, Alibi.com.
The news comes in the wake of reports out of Berlin via Variety where French telco operator Orange is taking its newly launched film shingle, Orange Studio, to the sales floor at EFM. Their package joins City Hunter with Amos Gitai's Tramway In Jerusalem to Jean-Charles Hue's Tijuana Bible with Ed Skrein starring among others.
Hojo Tsukasa's original 1985 manga serves the basis telling of a womanizing detective who runs a jack-of-all-trades outlet running missions with a beautiful tomboy as his often jealous assistant. The manga ran several OVAs and two live-action films: a 1991 movie loosely based on the manga with Andy Lau starring, and a ti…

Ronda Rousey's career with the WWE remains pending following recent headlines. In the meantime, she's got goals set in cinema and with none other than director Peter Berg and a rousing list of heavy hitters for potential franchise vehicle, Mile 22.
ComingSoon.net reports that production on the new action thriller which also headlines Mark Wahlberg and international superstar Iko Uwais, has wrapped principal photography following shoots in Atlanta, GA and Bogota, Colombia. A newly announced theatrical rollout has been set for July 20, 2018 from STXfilms while the studio further preps for a multiplatform STX release via STXtv and STXsurreal VR, as well as a sequel. Mile 22 marks the fourth collaboration between Berg and Wahlberg after Patriots Day, Deepwater Horizon and Lone Survivor. Written by Graham Roland and Lea Carpenter, the film centers on an elite American intelligence officer who, when aided by a top-secret tactical command unit, tries to smuggle a mysterious police of…

The mega success of David Sandberg's crowdfunded, stylish martial arts love letter to the 80's Kung Fury, has opened the floodgates in fine form. The very shortfilm in question is the subject of the bustling news out of Berlin this week as Sandberg readies production on Kung Fury 2: The Movie with several big names attached, including that of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Hollywood Reporter notes.
The Maggie and Aftermath star is set to be joined by the newly added Michael Fassbender and David Hasselhoff with Sandberg directing as well as reprising in the title role. Sandberg is producing via his Laser Unicorns label with Fassbender next to It producers David Katzenberg, Seth Grahame-Smith at KatzSmith Productions with Aaron Schmidt. Also producing are Philip Westgren of B-Reel Films and Conor McCaughan with Pelle Strandberg executive producing on behalf of Laser Unicorns.
Taking its myriad cues from ultra-lit 1980s fantasy fervor, Sandberg leads the intial short as Kung…

Welp, I made good use of my weekend with some great anime on top of work and a pair of reviews. Not much else really. Putting together the hit list was a bit weary since I couldn't find anything in trailers or things of that nature.

However...there is still plenty to share in terms if content this week and thus, we have a fresh batch of stunt and demo reels to kick it all off courtesy of World Wushu Champion, actress and martial artist Jade Xu, followed by 3run's Adam Brashaw, and stunt players Dana Rasmussen, Jackie Chan Stunt Team member Lee Huang, and Storm Freerun's Lynn Jung with Greg Poljacik, Lana Katz, Matt Kennedy, Mallory Thompson, Stefan Brysha, Sarah Purdum, Jacob Hotovy, Sadiqua Bynum, John Jeffrey Arias and Heather Woods comprising the week's stunt playlist. Enjoy!

A lack of promotional bits can be a bit crippling. Here thankfully I have a little something to fill in the gap some, particularly for Cynthia Rothrock fans who might be keen on following her e…

Award-winning director Juliane Block returns once again following about two years of effort for her latest endeavor, 3 Lives. The film saw an evolution since intiating crowdfunding efforts at Cinedime and now offers up a haunting, savory tale of danger, suspense, mystery and self-discovery.
Leading the way is actress Mhairi Calvey who first landed on our radar for upcoming action short, Eden Grey, which arrives at the Artemis Women In Action Film Festival this April. For 3 Lives, Calvey stars as a psychologist, kidnapped by three ex-military soldiers and is forced to confront her dark past when she learns her rescuer is the same man who was jailed for raping her 15 years earlier.
Wolf-Peter Arand wrote the script from a story by Block who made her way as a filmmaker sharing credits on festival favorites such as Kinks (2011), and Train Station (2015). Also starring are Tyron Ricketts, Martin Kaps, Antole Taubman, Victor Alfieri, Pete Riley and Maja-Celinè Probst for a release soon to …

Director Sato Shinsuke is someone you've probably been keeping your eye on for the new year if you have an eye for live-action manga adaptations. He's got two rolling out this year and first on the menu is Inuyashiki based on Oku Hiroya's 2014 publication.
It's a damn good package too, ripe with the use of an unlikely hero pitted against formidable odds. Actors Kinashi Noritake and Satoh Takeru lead the way for a story telling of an old man forced to face a looming threat in the form of a vindictive high school student following an explosion that renders them with extraordinary abilities by way of bionic implants.
Late December saw a teaser and as of this week, the official trailer has arrived courtesy of Toho for an April 20 release. Peep it below in addition to the official poster!